The Forum for Mobility and Society calls for action to improve road safety in Europe

The Forum for Mobility and Society calls for action to improve road safety in Europe

06 December 2016

On 6 December 2016, the Forum for Mobility & Society issued a set of recommendations to EU policymakers in calling for improved efforts when it comes to reaching road safety targets. The document was launched during a lunch debate on road safety in Europe.

The event featured speakers from the Maltese Delegation to the EU, automotive sector as well as international organisations. Participants discussed policies and measures that should be implemented to reach the objective of halving the number of road fatalities by 2020.

Christopher Farrugia gave an overview of how the upcoming Maltese Presidency will prioritise road safety. A conference will be organised in Malta on 28 March. Alexandre Santacreu from the International Transport Forum then presented key findings from the “Safer City Streets” report. He encouraged municipalities to transform their road networks into a “safe system”, traffic ecosystems designed to avoid crashes, serious injury or death.

Motorcycle Industry Association’s Safety Director, Veneta Vassileva presented the European Training Quality Label that seeks to improve riders’ safety skills. Furthermore, Jérôme Boulet from Bridgestone indicated that the tyre industry is dedicated to providing the right technologies in order to mitigate accidents’ risks.

“I am grateful to see that all Forum members are committed to working together to improve road safety” said Member of European Parliament Olga Sehnalová.

The event was closed by a panel discussion and specific actions that governments and policymakers can take to improve road safety. The recommendations will now be shared with officials, in hopes of promoting actions to achieve a reduction in road fatalities.